Where the three oceans meet

While the world has witnessed many conflicts that ravaged through civilizations, one civilization has shielded itself from carnage, and become a cradle of cultural and intellectual development. The South Indian civilization. Shielded on three sides by the ocean, we have developed a culture which has balance, rootedness and intelligence. We have built great temples, nurtured fine arts, produced amazing talent and contributed to the richness of this world.

The South is where India’s future lies. The South attracts 70% of India’s foreign investment, and is home to 80% of India’s top educational institutions. The South is where literacy is higher, hygiene is greater, women’s rights are better, caste conflicts are fewer, and religious clashes are uncommon. The South is where the common man’s earning capacity has been elevated, resulting in a higher per capita income. The four Southern states are growing at a rate comparable to China. The South is where IBM, Google, Microsoft, HP, Nokia and Samsung have set up shop. It is where the automobile industry thrives, alluring the likes of BMW, Hyundai, Nissan and Renault. It is where medical tourism has come of age.

The presence of South Indians is massive in the Indian diaspora too. South India produces a phenomenal number of Silicon Valley professionals, comparable only to the Chinese. This has drawn a comment from Bill Gates that South Indians and Chinese are the most intelligent people in the world. Half the Indian white-collar professionals in the USA are from Andhra Pradesh, with another sizeable chunk from Tamil Nadu. Every major country in this world (and many minor ones) have significant Tamil populations. The Malayalee migration is the stuff of legend, and Chandran Nair is known to have a thattukada (utility shop) on the moon. Telugu in the USA, Tamil in Southeast Asia, and Malayalam in the Middle East, are the dominant Indian languages in these regions.

So who are we? Where do we come from? What is the civilization that has produced us? Let us talk a bit about ourselves.

We come from a land steeped in culture. A land where the sounds of the mridangam and nadhaswaram blend mellifluously with the aromas of sandalwood and sambar. Where the Devaaram and Thiruvaasagam were composed amidst the imposing and intricate temples. Where Aadhiseshan anchored his tail and churned the ocean of milk. Where Parasurama threw his axe and created land for his people. Where Nataraja did his cosmic dance. This is Dravidam, the land where the three oceans meet.

We were speakers of old classical Tamil, which later diversified into Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Malayalam then diverged from Tamil. Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu are known as the Pancha Dravida languages.

The four South Indian states have enriched the culture of one another. We share a classical music tradition called Carnatic music. Telugu, Kannada and Tamil are all used for Carnatic music. The great Carnatic artists come from all our states. Religion, food and classical dance forms have also traversed across state boundaries.

Shaivism is the predominant religion, with a lesser degree of Vaishnavism, and minorities of Muslims and Christians. South Indian temples follow the Indo-Dravidian architectural style. Tirupati, Sabarimala, Hampi, Belur, Halebidu, Madurai, Kanchipuram, Thanjavur, Srirangam and Chidambaram are home to some of the greatest temples in the country.

South Indian cuisine is rice-based. A typical South Indian meal comprises of rice mixed with gravy and eaten with side dishes. Several South Indian dishes which originated in one province have now become part of life in the other provinces. Aviyal from Kerala is popular in Tamil Nadu. Sambar from Tamil Nadu is present in Andhra Pradesh. Mysore masala dosa from Karnataka is prevalent in Tamil Nadu. Some dishes, such as idlis and dosas, are popular throughout the country.

South India has four states (in alphabetical order) : Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Andhra Pradesh is the only state in India formed purely on the basis of linguistic identity. The Telangana, Andhra and Rayalaseema regions were merged together because of one reason: Telugu. Universally accepted as a melodious language, it’s known as the Italian of the East, because every word ends with a vowel. Krishna Deva Raya, king of Vijayanagar, said “Desha bhasha landu Telugu lessa” (Of all the languages of the nation, Telugu is the sweetest). Tamil poet Bharatiyar called Telugu “Sundara Telungu” (Beautiful Telugu).

Andhra Pradesh is the state with the most number of engineering colleges in India. The top educational institutions in India, like IIT and BITS, have massive representation from Andhra Pradesh. Every one of the 50 states in the USA has Telugu Associations. The Bay Area and New Jersey have become Telugu fortresses.

Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is often known as the second IT capital of India, next to Bangalore. It’s also home to a buzzing biotechnology industry. Entrepreneurs like Ramoji Rao and Anji Reddy have made their fortunes in Hyderabad.

In the heartlands, the Godavari and Krishna valleys are fertile, rice-growing areas, earning Andhra Pradesh the title of “The Rice Bowl of India”. These rivers are great sources of fish, and the fishing industry is also supported by towns and villages on the Bay of Bengal, such as Machlipatnam.

The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is known for its extensive use of chilli. It’s the spiciest of the four cuisines in the South. The gongura chutney is arguably the signature dish of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabadi cuisine is a subculture, most famous for its Hyderabadi biryani.

Karnataka is a land whose name conjures up a kaleideoscope of images. The magnificent ruins of Hampi which produced Hanuman’s vanar sena (army of monkeys), the temples of Belur and Halebidu, sandalwood, handicrafts, the Mysore Maharaja Palace, the Canara Coast, Yakshagana and Tippu Sultan. Mother Karnataka has nurtured the Cauvery river into a beautiful damsel ready for her marriage at Hogennakkal.

Karnataka has lent its name to the time-honored classical music form of Carnatic music. Countless works of Carnatic music have been produced in the Kannada language. Karnataka cuisine is similar to the other South Indian states but characterised by the use of lentils. The vegetarian Udipi restaurants are a sight all over India and indeed the world. Delicacies like Bisibelabath and the famous Mysore masala dosa have their origins in Karnataka.

Karnataka is the kingpin of the IT industry in India. Bangalore is the symbol of the new India, and has usurped its more-established rivals to become the most well-known Indian city in the world. Its name is synonymous with BPOs, call centres, ASPs and R&D. Infosys and Wipro are two world-famous IT giants from the city. The who’s who of global IT companies are found in Bangalore today.

The southwestern part of Karnataka is home to another language: Tulu. The unofficial territory of the Tulu language is Tulu Nadu, with Mangalore as its centerpiece. Udipi has a sizeable Tulu population. The Tuluvas are known for their migratory instincts. Arguably the most famous Tulu proverb is “Oorudu nanjaanda paarad badkodu”, which means, “If it’s tough at home, run away and survive”. One in every four Tuluvas is believed to live in Mumbai. Tulu women like Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty are among the most beautiful in the country.

Kerala is India’s most socially developed state. For decades, Kerala has been number one in hygiene, literacy, women’s rights and life expectancy. Kerala is known for its greenery, beaches and idyllic backwaters. Kovalam Beach, Kumarakom, Thekkady and Munnar have become hot tourist destinations, attracting visitors from all over the world.

The Malayalam language is the youngest in the Dravidian language family, and has arguably the highest number of sounds of any Indian language. It has sounds borrowed from Tamil, such as the zha, the hard La and the hard Na (none of which are found in Sanskrit). It also has sounds borrowed from Sanskrit, such as the hard Kha, hard Tha and hard Bha (none of which are found in Tamil). More trivially, Malayalam is the language with the longest name when written in English. It is also the only language whose name is a palindrome when written in English. In other words, it’s name is exactly the same when spelled backwards.

Kathakali is arguably Kerala’s most famous art form, and often comes to mind when you think of Kerala. Kalarippayattu, the ancient martial art, has survived to this day in Kerala. Mohiniattam is Kerala’s main dance form. Keralite dresses include the traditional mundu, and sarees with a unique border. Kerala’s cuisine is known for its extensive use of coconut. Common dishes include appam, puttu, aviyal, idiappam, erissery, fish curry and several non-vegetarian pickles. Dosa, idly, sambar and rasam from neighboring Tamil Nadu are also very much part of the diet. Onam is often called the “national” festival of Kerala. Keralites of all religions, living all over the world, celebrate this festival jubilantly.

The secular nature of India is exhibited in Kerala, where it’s common for Hindus, Muslims and Christians to live in close proximity, understanding the culture of one another. Sabarimala is one of the pre-eminent Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. The Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram is another must-see Hindu shrine. The Christians of Kerala constitute one of the earliest Christian communities in the world, originally converted by Saint Thomas, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ himself. Northern Kerala has a Muslim majority.

Malayalees are probably the only community in India where there isn’t much distance between the elite and the proletariat. As every Malayalee is educated, you are not very likely to find baseless superstitions among the common man. In addition to being literate, Malayalees are also well-informed. For decades, India’s best selling newspaper has been the Malayala Manorama. There are few sights that better represent Kerala than a slightly slim man carrying an umbrella in one hand and a Malayala Manorama in his other hand!

The Malayalees have migrated to every corner of the world, in various capacities. The Malayalee dispora includes accomplished journalists and statesmen at one end of the spectrum. It also includes less-skilled thattukada (utility shop) owners. The Middle East has witnessed an exceptional influx of Malayalees for decades, and it is often said that the Gulf economy almost entirely supports Kerala. Malayalam is claimed to be the most-heard non-official language in the Middle East.

Wherever they go, the Malayalees form a closely-knit community. With less regard for caste and even religion, they come to gether and establish their Malayalee traditions in their host countries. They have learnt several languages depending on where they migrate. Even for Malayalees living in Kerala, it is not uncommon to find them knowing four languages (English, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam).

Tamil Nadu, the land of Tamils, is a land whose influence outweighs its size. Tamil kings conquered South East Asia, taking Hinduism and the Ramayana there. Islam is also known to have reached South East Asia from Tamil Nadu. Zen was founded by Bodhidharma, a prince of the Tamil Pallava kingdom. The prophet Thiruvalluvar gave the world the masterpiece Thirukkural, a collection of 1330 pearls of wisdom. Only the Bible and the Quran have been translated into more languages than the Thirukkural.

The Tamils are cerebral people with great faith in knowledge. The best mathematicians, chess players and doctors have been Tamils. They have the secure mindset associated with communities who have a rich culture. They are achievement-oriented, hardworking people who constantly aspire to become better. They speak the best English in India. A common Tamil perception is that engineering and medicine are the only pathways to success. They don’t trust professions like show business and journalism.

A disproportionate number of top educational institutions in India are in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is probably one of the few places in the developing world where the healthcare is better than most developed countries. The Apollo Hospital in Chennai, the Christian Medical College in Vellore, Jipmer in Pondicherry and the Aravind Eye Care Centre in Madurai are easily the best in India, and attract medical tourists from all over the world. A unique feature is that these are both medical colleges and hospitals at once. While they provide world class medical care, they concurrently nurture the next generation of capable doctors. In general, I would not advise you to trust doctors in the developing world. But if it’s Dr Janakiraman from Jipmer or Dr Ananthakrishnan from Apollo, have no fear. As Lord Murugan said, yaamirukka bayamaen (why fear when I am here?)

Tamil cultural symbols include the classical dance form bharatanatyam, the musical form villuppaattu, the Tanjore paintings, the kanjeevaram sarees, jallikkattu (bullfighting), silambattam (the Tamil martial art), the sport kabaddi, the aadu puli aattam (Goat Tiger Game), the yaazh (a musical instument of the ancient Tamils), the nataraja (Shiva in his cosmic dance), the vel (spear of Lord Muruga) and the yaali (a mythical creature found in Tamil Nadu temples). Worship of Lord Muruga is at an all-India high in Tamil Nadu, earning Lord Muruga the name of thamizh kadavul (Tamil God). The Tamils have colorful mythology about Lord Muruga, such as his conquest of Valli’s heart and his feud with his brother Ganesha which made him flee furiously to Pazhani.

Pongal, Tamil New Year and Karthigai are festivals celebrated by Tamils regardless of caste, creed and religion. A festival unique to Madurai is the Teppam Festival (Float Festival). Thaipusam is celebrated by certain communities. Universal Hindu festivals like Deepavali and Vinayagar Chathurthi are also popular among Tamils. Tamil traditions include naming the child on the 11th day (always done by the maternal uncle), the valaikappu ceremony for pregnant women, and wedding customs like janavasam (procession), oonjal (swing) and nalangu (a game between bride and groom).

The food of Tamils is predominantly vegetarian, with extensive use of tamarind. Idlis, vadas and dosas (generically known as tiffin) which originated in Tamil Nadu are now popular all over India. Dishes unique to Tamils include murukku, vathakuzhambu, kaarakuzhambu, pongal and its festive variant chakkrapongal (sweet Pongal). There are some subcultures of nonvegetarianism such as Chettinad Cuisine. In an otherwise tea-drinking country, the Tamils are coffee freaks, and have turned their Madras filter coffee into an art form.

South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, has a special relationship with an island off our southeastern coast. An island known as Serendip, Heladiva, Eelam, Ceylon, Lanka, Ilankai and Sri Lanka. Historically the most common Tamil name for the island has been Eelam, as evidenced by several mentions of Eelam in ancient Tamil literature. The Sinhalese are culturally and linguistically different from South Indians, but the Eezhathamizhargal (Sri Lankan Tamils) form the link between South India and Sri Lanka. The Tamil presence on Sri Lanka goes back millenia. Yaazhpaanam (Jaffna) is a cradle of Tamil culture and spirituality as much as Madurai, Thanjavur or Kanchipuram.

Tamil Shaivite Hinduism is prevalent in Sri Lanka. There is extensive use of the Devaaram and Thiruvasagam for Shiva worship. The universal Hindu deity Vinayakar, and the Tamil god, Murugan, are also revered. The pancha eswarams (five Shiva temples) in five corners of the island are a tribute to Shiva. The most famous of the pancha eswarams is Koneswaram in Thirukonamalai (Trincomalee). Swamy Hill which houses Koneswaram is known as Dakshina Kailasam (southern cousin of Kailasha mountain where Lord Shiva is believed to reside). In its heyday, Koneswaram was a temple of unusual size and grandeur, and attracted pilgrims from all over the Indian subcontinent. The Nallur Kandaswamy temple and Kadhirgamam are two centres of Murugan worship in Sri Lanka. Kadhirgamam is where Murugan is said to have courted Valli.

Circumstances have dictated that the Sri Lankan Tamil culture today flourishes in Toronto and Geneva rather than Trincomalee or Jaffna. The Tamil diaspora has a huge component of Sri Lankan Tamils, who have taken the Tamil culture to faraway lands. Tamil traditions like Shaivite Hinduism and bharatanatyam are well-preserved by the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. These Tamils have supported the South Asian diaspora in several countries by setting up temples, CD shops, grocery stores, restaurants and utility shops. Scarborough in Toronto, East Ham in London and La Chapelle in Paris are some South Asian localities with a large component of Sri Lankan Tamils. They have maintained the Tamil tradition of investing in education. The UK Tamil community today boasts 6000 doctors, several BBC newscasters, a music artiste and a chess player. The Canadian Tamil community has produced doctors, engineers, sportspeople and writers. There’s even an association of Tamil doctors in the Canadian province of Ontario. They certainly remind you of their brethren in Tamil Nadu who also make excellent doctors and engineers.

Despite the diversity within the South Indian community, there are qualities common to South Indians. Our rootedness, balance, inclination toward intelligent pursuits, hard work, achievement-orientedness, sense of humour, ethics and discipline. We produce doctors, engineers, mathematicians, professors, scientists and chess players with great regularity. We have a Jewish kind of adaptability that makes us multilingual, adjustable and worldly-aware. The South Indian community has 220 million of us, which is small compared to other communities like the North Indians, the Chinese and the Arabs. This means that we can never be insular, and knowing this, we embrace other cultures with an open mind and make them part of our lives. At the same time, there is so much nativity, intelligence and culture in the South Indian community, and this gives us an anchor. With this anchor keeping us rooted and giving us balance, we make our contribution to this world.

The north south divide of India

We’ve heard about India’s north-south divide. Discussions on it often degenerate into cock-fights. Other discussions operate by making the whole topic a taboo and bashing anyone who brings up the issue as unpatriotic. But I believe we can talk about it by taking a high ground. Let me attempt to do that.

The divide started when two ethnolinguistic groups settled in two parts of India and built two civilizations which coexisted with a degree of independence. The Indo-European language speakers settled in northern India and the Dravidian language speakers settled in southern India.

The northern civilization was embellished by dynasties like the Mauryas and the Guptas. They established centres of learning like Nalanda University, cities like Pataliputra, and places of spirituality like Varanasi. The northern culture changed markedly when the Mughals entered India. The languages, clothes and food of northern India absorbed Persian and Arabic influences. Some of the more aggressive invaders destroyed temples and learning centres, and this was obviously detrimental to the civilization.

The southern civilization had dynasties like the Cholas, Pallavas, Hoysalas and Chalukyas. Surrounded by the ocean on three sides, South India faced fewer threats from invaders. The Vijayanagar Empire acted as a bulwark for the other southern kingdoms, repelling the Mughal invasions repeatedly. With this environment of relative stability, culture and intelligentsia flourished uninterrupted. They built the world’s first dams. They exported the Zen school of thought and the Shaolin martial arts to the far east.

Due to differing selection pressures, northern and southern Indians evolved with two different mindsets. The north developed a culture which respected aggressiveness and opportunism. The south developed a culture which respected intelligence and hard work. Several other subtle dichotomies emerged. The north became wheat-eating while the south became rice-eating. The north drank more tea, the south drank more coffee. The north became entrepreneurial, the south became intellectual. The north acquired aspects of shared culture with Persia, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Central Asia. The south established cultural links with Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, China and Japan.

In spite of this dichotomy, spirituality brought north and south together. Holy men from all parts of the Indian subcontinent convened in their pursuit of knowledge. The Vedas, Upanishads, Hindu gods and the Sanskrit language belonged equally to all parts of India. This was the time a concept of India emerged in the minds of the subcontinent’s dwellers, long before India was a single political entity.

The multitude of kingdoms that constituted India finally became one country when the British arrived. Not only was India politically united, they had a common enemy for the first time in their history. The Indian freedom movement gave an unprecedented unity to the subcontinent. When India finally achieved independence, it did so amidst a sea of euphoric Indian pride.

But when an independent India tried to resolve its national question, the north-south dichotomy reared its head again. The north acquired a position which looked suspiciously like the position of a ruling race. The Bimaru lobby, a large group of politicians from the Hindi belt, started controlling national politics. They were influential enough to make Hindi the national language, Delhi the national capital, and Nehru the first Prime Minister. Until 1991, every single Prime Minister of India was from the Hindi belt (with the exception of a brief period when Morarji Desai held the office).

The status of Hindi as national language did not help north south relations. It became a discriminatory burden that South Indians had to learn 3 languages whereas North Indians had to learn only 2. In the social context, North Indians often ridiculed South Indians who did not speak the “national” language. A section of the North Indian population migrated to other regions (including the South) and imposed Hindi in their everyday interactions with the locals, while feeling no need to learn the local language. This factor is still a bone of contention in north south relations.

To compound the general perception that the north was ruling the country, Delhi and Mumbai became the centres of government and finance respectively. Mumbai may have been geographically in the west, but in terms of culture, mindset and acceptance of Hindi, it was very much North India. It’s a bit like Australia being a western country despite being geographically situated in the east.

It became inevitable for South Indians to migrate to the north for career progression. The north was where central government agencies were situated. The north was where MNCs had their Indian headquarters. The north was where most of the tourists to India were heading. The world knew India through Bombay and Delhi, not through Madras or Bangalore. The south became peripheral in its own country. Migrating to the north was a step up. Those were the days Messrs Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani were taking the train from Matunga to Nariman Point.

In 1991, the pendulum started swinging southwards. India’s economy was liberalized (coincidentally by the country’s first South Indian Prime Minister) and foreign investment was courted. The south, with its better law and order, education, and stability, started attracting a disproportionate share of the foreign investment. Electronics, automobile, textile and biotechnology companies flocked to southern cities and towns. Kerala’s tourism industry enjoyed an astonishing rise, and the state became No 1 in terms of the number of tourists visiting it every year.

And then, there was Bangalore. Bangalore enjoyed a meteoric rise as the IT capital of India, and became the first world-famous South Indian city. By building an image of cosmopolitanism (justified or otherwise) and attracting migrants from all over the country, Bangalore became the south’s answer to Bombay. World famous IT companies set up their India headquarters in Bangalore. A breed of foreigners emerged who respected Bangalore but did not care much for Delhi or Bombay.

Today, 70% of the foreign investment to India takes place in the four southern states. Giants like Google, Microsoft, HP, IBM, Accenture, Hyundai, Nissan-Renault, BMW, Nokia and Samsung have established their Indian headquarters in southern cities. Local giants like Infosys and Wipro are also headquartered in the south. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that corporate headquarters are usually in Delhi or Bombay, southern IT firms like Cognizant and MindTree have their top brass in southern cities, but employ thousands of developers and call centre operators in northern cities. South Indians no longer think of going to the north as a step up. For career growth, today’s South Indian migrates either to the three major southern cities, or to other countries altogether.

The economic self-sufficiency of the south was followed by an upsurge in cultural pride. Kannadigas in Bangalore started opposing Hindi for the first time, and came out onto the internet to express their views. There was an unexpected upsurge in the demand for Kannada entertainment, and several radio channels which started off in Bangalore by playing mainly Hindi songs have now switched to playing mainly Kannada songs. Over in Hyderabad, the burgeoning industries attracted talent from other parts of Andhra Pradesh, causing an “invasion of coastal Andhra immigrants” that Telugu-ised an erstwhile Urdu-speaking city. The flourishing Telugu movie industry took root in Hyderabad. The powerful entrepreneurs of Hyderabad today are coastal Andhra immigrants such as Ramoji Rao and Anji Reddy. Telugu has become the language of choice in a city which was once India’s pre-eminent seat of Urdu.

The future of the north south divide depends largely on the population growth and economic growth of various parts of India. Alarming population growth and insufficient economic development in the Bimaru states are presently causing a wave of Hindi-speakers going to other parts of the country, including the south. It’s now common to find unskilled Bihari workers in southern cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore, and this trend is likely to increase. The unpleasant paradigm of the Hindi speaking migrant vs the son of the soil has already reared its ugly head in Maharashtra and Assam. There’s always a possibility that something similar could happen in the south.

Another ticking time bomb in north south relations is that all four southern states pay a share of taxes which is above the national average, simply because they are more successful than the national average. With this tax money being pumped into the bottomless pit comprising of the Bimaru states, the south is not deriving much benefit by being part of India. Who knows, this may sow the seeds of secession one day. Once again, the root cause is the population growth and backwardness of the Bimaru states.

The persistent insertion of Hindi into every aspect of India’s functioning is not going to help. There is still a discriminatory burden on South Indians to learn an additional language, and that factor is very much a bone of contention.

The north south divide is a real dichotomy which is not going to disappear. It is like the French-German-Italian divide of Switzerland or the French-Dutch divide of Belgium. This dichotomy needs to be handled sensitively to ensure that it does not eventually threaten the very unity of the nation. As mentioned above, there are time bombs that can worsen the north south divide. These need to be identified and addressed early. But whether India is doing that is another matter.

How India rewards backwardness

Recently, the Gujjar community, a tribe of northern India, took to the streets and protested, blocking roads, burning tires, and putting Delhi and surrounding regions under siege. They demanded to be classified as a “backward” class, so that they could enjoy the reservation quota benefits the Government gives to historically oppressed people.

The mockery is that the Gujjars are a Kshatriya community. In other words, they rank second in the five-tier caste system of India. They have been chieftains ruling over small territories, and occasionally larger ones too. This hardly qualifies them as an oppressed community. In fact, the Kshatriyas along with Brahmins and Vaishyas have been the chief perpetrators of the caste system, oppressing the Shudras and Dalits. Now to gain official patronage, certain Kshatriya and Vaishya subgroups are aligning themselves with the people they oppressed. The entire category of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) came about as a result of these mid-tier castes wanting to call themselves backward. Some of the very families who submit OBC certificates to get their children into colleges also build walls to prevent Dalits from entering their section of town. The oppressors continue oppressing, but adopt the guise of the oppressed when it suits them.

India is the only country where people are clamoring, fighting and even rioting for the right to be known as backward. Backwardness is rewarded in India. We find people tripping over each other to run in reverse.

There is another way India rewards backwardness. Backward states get spoonfed by the Indian Government in the form of increased tax devolution. According to this article,

“An important aspect of the devolution of Central tax revenues under Finance Commission dispensation is that it has inbuilt bias in favor of fiscally weaker states. Population and per capita income of the State get high weightage in the distribution formula. A state with larger population and lower per capita income gets a higher share in the Central tax revenues.

Progressive states which have controlled their population and developed their economy are being penalised for their progress. Chandrababu Naidu, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, expressed his discontent a few years ago when he said,

“It is ironical to note that all those states which have taken corrective measures to reform the State finances and managed to bring down their revenue gap are now at the receiving end of the Commission’s recommendations. For instance, efforts of the State Government to bring down the poverty level through targeted programmes has, in fact, become counter-productive for a State like ours.”

“While States like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, will have better revenue inflows based on their revenue deficits, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, who have taken up several developmental works, would suffer.

“If you look at the 11th Finance Commission report and compare finances of various States, it would be clear where Andhra Pradesh is heading. As reflected in the report, we are better than others. Ironically, this has in fact had adverse affect on the flow of funds going by the recommendations of the Commission.”

The infamous Bimaru states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and their offshoots Uttaranchal, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand) lead the way when it comes to population, and lag behind in per capita income. So a great deal of taxpayer’s money is thrown into the bottomless pit comprising of these states. Industrialized, urbanized and economically progressive states like Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are given a raw deal in tax devolution due to their lower population and higher per capita income. The Indian Government’s signal is simple: Be backward, do not control your population, breed at an alarming rate, keep your per capita income low, and the Government will reward you by giving you an increased share of the taxes.”

We hear a lot about India shining. But with this culture of rewarding backwardness, how can India compete with the objectivity and pragmatism of other emerging economies like China or Brazil?

India is slowly reaching the state portrayed in the movie “The Planet of the Apes”, where apes have become the ruling race and humans have become subservient. With India’s culture of encouraging backwardness, that day is not far.

Stop the Hindification of India

What is Hindification?

India’s strength is its unity in diversity. Its multitude of languages, religions and cultures. But this diversity is being undermined by the excessive importance given to one language, Hindi. A misguided sense of patriotism has allowed Hindi to become the dominant language, and the Hindi-speaking culture to become the supposed “national” culture. National integration is wrongly associated with speaking Hindi and accept Hindi domination meekly. This meekness is termed as a virtue, and anyone who tries to promote his regional language is labelled as parochial, chauvinistic and anti-national. To non-Indians, Hindi is often portrayed as the de-facto lingua franca of India.

There’s a prevalent “All Indians must know Hindi” attitude which reeks of imperialism. It’s common to find Hindi-speakers living in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata or the North East without knowing the local language. They simply expect the locals to speak in Hindi. In some places like Mumbai, the locals do the Hindi-speakers a favour by conversing in Hindi. But when this happens, the Hindi-speakers start taking it for granted, and assume that it’s their divine right to be spoken to in Hindi.

The Indian Government has institutionalised Hindi imposition in the Constitution, giving it an undemocratically higher status than other languages. This blog depicts the various ways Hindi has been officially imposed in the Indian Government.

Indians who do not know Hindi are subjected to ridicule, insult and abuse. This can be seen from many comments here. A common rant is that “Hindi is the national language but you don’t know it”. In certain countries, the moment they see that we are Indians, they start speaking to us in Hindi. They treat Hindi as the de-facto link language of Indians.

To the international community, Bollywood is projected as the only film industry in India. In the International “Indian” Film Academy Awards (IIFA), there is space only for Bollywood movies, and none for regional movie industries. In several overseas universities, the Indian Associations have Bollywood Movie Screenings, but no attempts to showcase regional cinema. Only Hindi movies are known to the international community, but regional movies are not. This contributes to the dominant status of Hindi.

We need to contain the monopolistic influence of Hindi, to give due recognition and limelight to regional languages. We need to ensure that regional languages become part of the national and global culture along with Hindi.

Why is Hindification a problem?

1. Hindification gives secondary status to all the other languages of India. Other languages are becoming less important, less useful, and less relevant. Hindification will lead to the gradual marginalization and ultimate death of all the other languages of India. For example, some Marathi children in Mumbai ask their parents, “Why should we speak Marathi, now that everyone in Mumbai speaks in Hindi?” Similarly, Punjabis often speak to each other in Hindi. Evidence of these can be found in some comments here. Regional languages are simply waiting in line for their death sentences, with some being ahead in the line.

2. Hindification prevents regional languages from becoming part of the global culture. The global community is not even aware of the existence of most regional languages. They do not know that movie industries exist in those regional languages. With this lack of international recognition, it’s just a matter of time before the regional languages perish. They will become provincial languages with little relevance in the globalized world. To ensure the survival of regional languages, they need to become part of the global culture. These regional languages must ride the wave of globalization and not be drowned underneath the wave. This is what we must ensure.

3. The Hindification of India causes tensions between Hindi Indians and non-Hindi Indians. Hindi has taken root and marginalized the local language in places like Mumbai, causing resentment among the locals. This is the root cause of violence against Hindi-speakers in Maharashtra, as I have discussed here. Hindification has also caused resentment among South Indians. This is the root cause of the North-South divide, as I have discussed here. Hindification is the root cause of the now-defunct Sikh separatism. Hindification is the root cause of separatist movements in the North East, including violence against Hindi-speakers in Assam. Continued Hindification would be bad for the safety of Hindi-speakers and the communal harmony of India.

4. The status of Hindi as the dominant language is undemocratic, and against the spirit of India. In a truly secular country, all languages should be given equal importance. Just as Hindus do not impose their religion on Muslims or Sikhs, Hindi-speakers should not impose their language on Telugu-speakers or Marathi-speakers.

What we can do to stop the Hindification of India

If your native language is a regional language

1. Speak Hindi only while you’re in the Hindi-speaking region. In your home state, speak only two languages: Your mother tongue (with people who speak your mother tongue), and English (with people who do not speak your mother tongue).

2. When Hindi-speakers migrate to your state, encourage them to learn the local language.

3. If a Hindi-speaker visiting your home state speaks in Hindi, politely ask him to speak in either English or the state language. Be firm about this. Don’t be diffident. E.g. In Mumbai, ask him to speak in either English or Marathi. In Hyderabad, ask him to speak in either English or Telugu.

If your native language is Hindi

1. Speak Hindi only to other native Hindi-speakers. Speak English to someone whose mother tongue is a regional language.

2. When migrating to non Hindi-speaking states, learn the local language. Speak to the locals either in their language, or in English.

If you’re native language is a regional language, and you are living outside India

1. Tell your non-Indian friends that there are 18 official languages in India. Tell them about the regional movie industries of India. Show them some of these regional movies (with English subtitles).

2. Speak only two languages to other Indians: Your mother tongue (with those who share your mother tongue) and English (with Indians who do not share your mother tongue).

3. If an Indian speaks to you in Hindi and you understand, reply in English.

4. If an Indian speaks to you in Hindi and you don’t understand, tell him, “I’m sorry but I don’t speak Hindi, can you say that in English?” Don’t be embarrassed to say you don’t speak Hindi.

5. If an Indian speaks to you in Hindi and you understand partially, tell him, “My Hindi is not that good, can you say that in English?” Don’t be embarrassed to say your Hindi knowledge is only partial.

If you are a true Indian, and believe in Unity In Diversity

Forward this blog to as many Indians as possible. Talk to other Indians about the points here.

Why this lingering divide?

This news article was perfectly harmless, but it caused a catfight between North Indians and South Indians in the online forum, causing several posts to be deleted for abusive content.

This is just one example among countless forums on the Internet where North Indians and South Indians sling mud at each other. The North claims that South Indians are dark, dirty, filthy, and make the office stink with curd rice. The South claims that North Indians are loud, smelly, lack culture and fart in public. The North enjoys reminding the South that North Indian movies and food are more popular than their Southern equivalents. The South relishes comparing Bangalore and Hyderabad with Bihar.

But why does this divide exist? Why do Indians give this level of importance to the North-South divide? Why can’t a country which is secular in terms of religion fail to do away with the age-old North-South divide?

One possible answer lies in the question itself: The age-old North-South divide. Maybe Indians find it simply impossible to ignore the fact that North and South India have operated independently for most of their history.

But that does not quite explain. Because in Singapore, there is an equally age-old divide: That between Chinese, Malays and Indians. But Singaporeans have been able to do away with this divide and unite as Singaporeans. You won’t find forums where any of these three communities throw abuse at one another.

I believe that the reason for India’s persistent North-South divide is the constant imposition of North Indian culture on the South. This started soon after independence when Hindi, a North Indian language, was made the national language of India. Every North, South, East or West Indian is expected to speak the national language. A South Indian who does not speak Hindi is subjected to ridicule, abuse and insult. In the realm of cinema, Bollywood hogs the limelight, preventing South Indian and other regional cinema from getting their due. To compound the problem, some North Indian individuals enjoy belittling South Indians, insulting South Indian icons ranging from idlies to lungies to Rajnikanth.

All these have caused resentment among South Indians. So naturally, when Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad lead the IT revolution, South Indians feel a sense of emancipation. When Kerala starts attracting more tourists than North Indian states, South Indians feel vindicated. When Hyundai, HP and Nokia set up shop in Chennai, South Indians feel their time has come. So South Indians have a natural tendency to gloat about whatever few advantages they have over North Indians. North Indians react to this by accusing the South of chauvinism. South Indians respond to that by claiming that it is actually the North which is chauvinistic by constantly imposing its culture on the South. This leads both factions on a wild goose chase without an end. The usual battle lines are drawn, with lungi, idly and Rajnikanth on one side, and Bihar, langota and Laloo Prasad Yadav on another.

In contrast, the communal harmony of Singapore has been ensured by the sensible way the Singapore Government has managed diversity. Malay was made the national language only ceremonially. The majority of Singaporeans do not know Malay, and are not expected to know it. The constitution gives equal importance to English and three other languages, each corresponding to the three communities of Singapore. Instead of following the melting pot model where diversity is minimized, Singapore follows the mosaic model, where each component retains its unique identity and also becomes part of a beautiful whole. There is no reason for any community to feel they have been given a raw deal.

Once India starts following this model, the North-South divide will cease to be an issue. When Hindi ceases to be the national language, South Indians will have one less reason to complain. When South Indian cinema gets the same international recognition as Bollywood, South Indians will have another reason to feel fairly treated. When an Indian who does not know Hindi is treated the same way as an Indian who does not know Kannada, there would be no reason for South Indians to accuse the North of imperialism.

These changes need to happen at every level, right from the government to the individual. The North-South divide is not going to disappear just by willing it away.

Comments to my blog “Violence in Maharashtra – The root cause”

Background: You may be wondering why I’ve made a separate post for comments to my previous blog. It’s because my previous blog was moved from its earlier location. I deleted my previous blog along with its comments. But there were some fantastic comments, so I wanted to preserve them here. Here are the comments and my replies.

Raj says:

I congratulate you for writing an article that gets to the root cause of the issue! The mainstream media people are idiots who only report the symptoms and fool the people. You have correctly identified the cause of the disease. I agree with you completely.

I would only differ on the model that you suggest. I would say we need to find a unique model for India,as we are too diverse a nation compared to a small but advanced city state like Singapore. I would say we need to find a model that is a combination of the Swiss and European models.

The Depressed Doormat says:

I think part of the problem (apart from linguistic and cultural pressure on non-hindi states) has to do with the way we have been brainwashed by the british. Without any evidence they have successfully made us believe that we ARE two different people. Add to that the fact that the north-easterners have chinese features, and their distance from mainland India, and we have 3 sects (and countless sub-sects).

Nita says:

Congratulations Vasant for writing such a clear article. One can feel your passion in this. I do agree with you on most counts. I agree that we should spread this message to as many people as possible. But I think the message should go to the common people, and those people will not be able to read this blog. It is sad that we do not have a organisation through which we can educate people. I on my part try to tell as many people as possible, whether it’s the woman who works at the gym or the sales girl. these are the people we need to reach. DD, I think it’s the opposite. The British, unable as they were to understand India’s diversity, tried to brainwash us into thinking that we were one people, but the fact of the matter is that we are not. India was not united before the British came, just as europe was not united. The British tried to make us feel that just because we were brown, we were one, but the truth is that we are culturally very diverse. The British, who were racist at the time, were no able to see this. They made us feel guilty for harbouring a love for our own culture and language. But if the French love their own culture and language, it’s okay, but a tamilian and an assamese and a Bihari and and a Bengali need to come under a Hindi umbrella. Would France and Italy ever have come under the English umbrella? What do you thnk had happened if Britain had conquered Europe and tried to do there what they did here? Why, there is more difference between a tamilian and a bengali than there is between different european countries! we have separate languages and separate scripts! I have written about this in detail in my post on multicultural India. Anyway, this is enough for now.

My reply:

Thank you so much, Nita. I knew you’d agree with me on most counts. I agree that we need to reach the common people, the people who won’t read this blog. Most of all, we probably need to reach the common Bihari or UP guy. These people have been brainwashed into thinking Hindi is the national language. Which is why they think they have a divine right to go anywhere in India and speak the “national language”. We should also try to reach the common Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Punjabi. Cos these are the communities most likely to submit to the Hindi domination and marginalise their own languages, thinking they are being patriotic. But the problem is, I don’t know how we are going to reach those common people. It’s not as if we have all the time in the world to translate the message into several languages, go into the heartlands and spread the message. So far, all we can do is to get as many people as possible to read this blog (and of course, your incomparable blog that has elicited over 1000 comments!) As you mentioned in one of your blogs, the only solution is for the Indian government to announce that Hindi is not the national language. I would go one step further and suggest that the Indian government amends the constitution to make English the sole official language of the Indian Union (currently, it is English and Hindi as OFFICIAL languages, not NATIONAL languages). Hindi can then be the official language of Hindi-speaking states, just as regional languages are currently the official languages of their states. And of course, this change needs to be communicated to the common man. But knowing the numerical superiority of the Hindi-speakers (particularly in UP and Bihar), it is impossible to see the Indian government making this sort of change.

Seshadri says:

I do agree with you on the ideas you are trying to bring ut..i think singapore is a dwarf model compared to INdia to probably emulate and see how it works..as u sais..national integraton does not have any meaning..it is sad to know that in the west there r only 2 races..white and black..in india…we tag all our regionalism and lingusitic chauvinsim into subtle racist attacks on ppl who happens to be in minority.. this MNS uy is junkie..he is asing wat bIg b did for Maha rather than UP..he shd turn back and ask wat shard pawar is doin to control the farmer suicides in Vidarbha inpite of being the agri minister… Raj Thack believd he was sidelined frm the manstrem shiv sena..he wante to sensitize something and he found wat he wanted and he achived wat he wanted…

My reply:

You say Singapore is a dwarf model. But Singapore being a small country, it would have been all the more easy to impose one language. But they still didn’t do it. They still maintained diversity. In a large country like India where each language group has 50 million people and a land area comparable with most countries, it is even easier to maintain diversity and avoid imposing one language.

Anand says:

When I started reading this post I thought of quoting a portion and commenting that I agree with that but then I found out that each and every line was something which was eactly running in my mind. I can say you can never be more clearer. Superb post!!

I am from Taminadu where this problem raged right from the 1960s . We have a classical language and the hindians try to impose a relatively young regional(though a big region) language on us in the name of integration. As someone had pointed out earlier, India never had a common language except sanskrit which was not in the reach of the masses. I fully agree to say that English is the best linking language.

My relatives have stayed for many years in Bombay and they know both Hindi and marathi but this north indian population, even I have observed ,refuses to even make an attempt to learn any local language as you say.

http://www.geocities.com/tamiltribune/99/0104.html

You can go through the above link. I fully support the cause of Maharashtrians because each one wants to preserve their identity.

The Depressed Doormat says:

@Nita: I was not talking about cultural multiplicity, but genetic duplicity. There is a vast difference in the two. I shouldn’t have to explain what the differences are, since Apartheid was vey much an issue in years gone by, which I have been (un)fortunate not to have witnessed…

Rajshekar S says:

Wonderful blog..

Every damn blogger was writing s**t things about those who raised their voices for their language, people and land. You dared to be different and dared to be right too !!

My congrats for writing an excellent piece of writeup .

Keep going sir

My reply:

Thanks so much! Pls try to spread this blog link so that more people can get to hear this side of the story. Also pls go through this blog which expresses points similar to mine. If you have time, please go through this blog and the comments that follow. It shows the frustration non-Hindi Indians feel due to the imperialistic attitude of Hindi-speakers.

Yogi says: 

Hi, This is a very article..and I completely agree with the root cause. During the time of Hindi Imposition,Tamilnadu was the only state to protest..sadly no other state joined in the protest..and now they are paying for it.

My reply:

Totally correct. When Tamilnadu protested, everyone was quick to condemn Tamils as unpatriotic. Now other regional communities are waking up to the realisation that the Hindi monster is slowly devouring us. Kannadigas are standing up for Kannada, Telugu is on the rise in Hyderabad, and now the Maharashtrians are joining us. The Hindi chauvinists are being attacked from all directions. Start the music!

Amey Talekar says:

Vasant, you’re in my head! I cannot agree with you more. The constitution guarantees every state to maintain a certain level of freedom and diligence in choosing their language and upholding its culture! Ask any foreign tourist to describe India and most of them will say ” A melting pot of vast cultures and traditions” That is what truly makes us Indian!! And we cannot loose this diverse cultural identity. I am very proud of being an Indian, but the moment I say I am proud of being a Maharashtrain-label me as a separatist and get the classification done with. Hindi is our national language and it should be known by all, but Marathi is my mother tounge, and if its not meant to be spoken in Maharashtra, then where is it to be spoken?

My reply:

Yes, the moment we say we are proud to be Maharashtrian, Punjabi or Tamil, we are labelled separatists, anti-national and similar stuff. Sad, isn’t it? I fail to see how being Maharashtrian contradicts with being Indian. Hypothetically, if Marathi is made the national language and Hindi is made a regional language, the same Hindi-speakers would say, “I’m proud to be a Bihari”, “I’m proud to be a UP-ite”, etc. Their “patriotism” will fly out the window in an instant. But now, it’s so easy for the Hindi-speakers to preach, “Be an Indian first”, because they know their language is always first in line to gobble up the limelight.

As I said in this blog, a misguided sense of patriotism has resulted in the Hindi-speaking culture being perceived as the national culture. If we preserve our regional identity, we are supposed to be parochial. But in my opinion, even the Hindi-speaking culture is a regional culture. By pushing it as the national culture, it’s the Hindi-speakers who are being parochial.

You expressed it perfectly when you said if Marathi is not spoken in Maharashtra, where else is it meant to be spoken? Similarly Kannada in Karnataka, Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Bengali in Bengal, and so on. By imposing Hindi on all these places, the Hindi-speakers have gone against the spirit of India, and done so for the past 60 years.

There’s only one point where I disagree with you. Hindi is not our national language and need not be known by all. “Hindi is our national language” is a lie that has been propagated over and over again, to the extent that the majority of Indians believe it to be true. It’s not there in the Indian Constitution. It’s there only in the minds of Indians, and it needs to go. Even assuming for purposes of argument that Hindi is our national language, I still maintain that Hindi need not be known by all. Just like our national game hockey need not be played by all.

Amey Talekar says:

Well actually, the constition does state the official language of the Union of India will be Hindi and English and that after 15 years of the implementation of the constitution, the language as decided upon by the parliment shall be adopted as the official language. It also states that the Union shall strive to aid the groth of Hindi as a national language and the language of communication. Sourced from the copy of the constituion available at indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/welcome.html.

However, I stand by what I said, and I am of the strong view that the Union and its people should not try to impose the national culture on a specific area of people. National integration never said forget your culutural identity and embrace the national culture. I totally agree that it is easier for people from UP or Bihar to say that HIindi is our national language and hence it should be given a superior status viz. a viz. other languages since they don’t stand to loseout on anything. Again, something that the largely dominant Hindi or English media fails to convey or maybe even comprehend.

jai maharashtra says:

very nice work vasanth. what u have written is partly right but we in maharashtra r not saying that we should make english as a main language. u have given example of singapore but i think if in a country like india which has more than 400 languages ,we use english language main then it’s very shameful.it just symbolizes our 150 yrs slavery. as far as maharashtra is concerned what we marathi people r saying that we all know hindi. what is the use of teaching us importance of hindi if we all know it???basically this fight by Raj was not aimed at hindi speaking people. hindi speaking includes haryana,punjab,himachal etc. we don’t have problem with them. we r against gundaism done by bhaiyyas. we just say that u learn marathi in maharashtra. as far as hindi is concerned we know it. i have written a blog on this subject (basically it’s conversation between me and a bihari). u can read it here http://mimarathipolitics.blogspot.com/

sandip says:

very intelligent article. keep it up. start writing for newspapers,magazines especially for english since u will represent the state common man problems very well.

saurabh says:

I agree with “jai maharashtra”. English shall not be made the national language. But then, shall there be one or not? The answer can be yes, maybe for the sake of national integration, I don’t think Hindi was a bad choice considering the number of Hindi speaking population of India. I guess, Dr. Ambedkar, a maharashtrian, must have found some reason is doing so.

At the same time, I disagree with the author of the blog; there is no such concept of “north indian imperialism”. He cannot just base upon certain bad examples and rope in the entire north indian people. I know many friends working in Tamilnadu who happily learnt Tamil. If you question about north indians in Maharashtra not trying to learn Marathi, it only comes from the simple fact that most Maharashtrians can understand Hindi and this makes a Hindi speaker comfortable in Maharashtra. Once in comfort zone, they avoid this difficult task of learning a new language. I don’t see any other reason except this natural tendency not to break out of the comfort zone. Further, I feel why Maharashtrians can understand Hindi, is because of Bollywood films and songs which are quite popular among Marathi children and youth.

Amey Talekar says:

@ Saurabh Exactly, so since we understand Hindi and we tend to make the other party comfortable by conversing in Hindi, the nation labels us as seperatists and starts quoting the consitution and freedom of movement when we ask them to learn a little bit of Marathi. Pathetic bigotry. People keep saying I cannot learn 15 languages if I keep moving to 15 states, I am saying at least try. Everyone keeps questioning about why they need to learn Marathi since it’s not aiding them in a global scenario but that to me is a cowardly excuse, hasn’t globalisation occured in France, Spain, Germany, China? What scope of benefit does Hindi have beyond the purview of India or maybe the subcontinent? Or are your view on globalisation also limited to the vicinity of the sub-continent? What I am against is the double standards and the claim that these guys are making by saying ‘I am an Indian first, I dont let my regional identity come between my national identity’, well thats cause your regional identoty IS the national identity. Also, I have started to agree with Vasant, after having though about it, nowhere has the constituion mentioned that Hindi is our national language, its the official language.

My reply:

Yup, it’s sad. For 60 years you let Hindi take root in Maharashtra, but the Hindi-speakers have never complimented you for it. They just take it for granted that they can go to Maharashtra and speak Hindi. When you finally realise that Marathi culture is on the wane and try to revive it, you are labelled separatists. We (Tamils) know how it feels. We’ve faced it for 60 years.

Ashok says (my replies in bold):

I must say that I agree to you on most of your points written above. However you missed few most important aspects altogether.

1) This whole issue of regional chauvinism is nothing more than developed vs under developed states/people/culture. Bihar was one of best governed state till 1950’s then there was a steep downfall. Other end there is Punjab will is still the most developed state in India even after going through severe crisis few decades back. So dont use North Indians as generic term. Feel free to use UP, Bihar, MP etc. I am reffering to your term “North Indian imperialism”. Please ponder and answer why Punjab/Haryana/Utranchal/Delhi dont think that Hindi has robbed their local culture? Do you think they have surrendered to Hindi? Or They speak Hindi dialect so they ignore.

I believe Uttaranchal and Delhi speak Hindi (or a dialect of Hindi). Haryana split from Punjab because Punjabi Hindus were persuaded to declare Hindi as their mother tongue, and Haryana’s official state language is Hindi. As for Punjab, I feel they are too soft in their stand towards Hindi. I have seen Punjabis speaking to each other in Hindi. I find this attitude very subservient, and I don’t believe other communities should take them as an example.

2) You will see senseless Northies and southies fighting over Rajnikant but you will not see the same kind of venom spitting over our beloved APJ. Explain this? Any person with little iota will not ridicule Rajni but of course there are rotten people also. Dont pick them selectively. Think why there is unanimous support for a non political person like APJ.

Because Rajnikant represents a South Indian institution (South Indian cinema in this instance). APJ may be a South Indian, but he does not represent a South Indian institution. He’s like A R Rahman. No one criticises A R Rahman while criticising South Indians. Ditto with Aishwarya Rai.

3)Regarding Hindi. People learn Hindi not because the way you described – “imperialist mindset of Northies” but because of much more potent reasons. We can have a debate on that later. You write your blog in English. Is it for comfort or popularity? When we speak/learn English do we loose our local culture?

I know Southies who learn Hindi for social reasons, to be in the good books of their Northie “friends” who ridicule them for not knowing Hindi.

4) Will there be any change if your thoughts if UP/Bihar will be developed states in say next 10 years? Or you think these states cannot be developed at all.

My thoughts are independent of the fact that UP and Bihar are backward. There will be a change in my thoughts if UP/Bihar folks start respecting other cultures, learn other languages, and quit their Hindi chauvinism. This is independent of development.

Please help me in understanding above points. It may be that I am missing something badly.I wont mind accepting your thoughts. As we both have same goal – Developed and Prosperous India. P.S: I am sure you are not speaking to anyone in Hindi. If you are please stop that because one need to walk the talk. APJ is my idol he dont speak hindi at all. So its not about language but the “real content”.

I do speak in Hindi, but that is only with NIs who don’t know English. E.g. some taxi drivers and shopkeepers in the North.

Ashok says:

Read the below mentioned link if you care. I am sending it to you because it looks like we are talking in the frame of “US” vs “THEY”. http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=d7q3wnv_13hfbbrwtz&hl=en Even I think that developed and law abiding South Indians (I am going by popular believe, for the sake or argument lets accept this) leaders should take the center stage and expedite the country’s progress to next level. If required make some amendments in constitution. To me all the politicians failed badly to cater the need of Indian people. Can you name name few Leaders (so called representative of masses) in South who can lead the India? I think Mr Chandrababu Naidu could be the best person to lead India.

saurabh says:

Well @Amey, “the nation labels us as seperatists and starts quoting the consitution and freedom of movement when we ask them to learn a little bit of Marathi.” Not really! Asking somebody to learn a language or respect a culture is one thing; to impose with brute force is another. And it is later which is and should be condemned. A culture is meant to be respected with heart. If imposed, it will be followed but not by heart. I am not saying this only from Marathi/Tamil/Indian or French perspective; this applies to all; one would agree.

“What scope of benefit does Hindi have beyond the purview of India or maybe the subcontinent?” In you post, this is the sentence which hurt me. I can guess your anguish but does promoting Marathi mean killing Hindi in hands of English? Can’t Marathi and Hindi co-exist? Anyway, being a Hindi tongued, I would still prefer Hindi over English if I talk to a person in Boston who can comprehend in both the languages. I suppose, the same happens when a Kannadiga in Delhi meets another Kannadiga; they will speak in Kannada. I hate those people who talk in English even when they know a native language. One example is my old neighbour couple who used to talk in English even though they both very well knew Marathi.

“People keep saying I cannot learn 15 languages if I keep moving to 15 states, I am saying at least try.”  My question is, how do we try? I am giving my example. My work doesn’t leave for me enough time to learn Marathi and Bengali which I long to learn. The reason why these two languages only is, I would like read associated rich literary treasure. But I am not able to do so even if I try to devote time. Why? Because, I don’t find enough resources which can systematically let me learn these languages. Online resources, books, newspapers don’t appeal me probably because they are just one sided. I need some native speaker who can teach me these languages. But, my Marathi/Bengali friends/neighbours are too busy. What to do? This thought is in my mind for years; why aren’t there language schools for adults? There are adult schools teaching English, French, German, Japanese and now Chinese too. There are schools for dancing, cooking, drawing and what not, but not a single one for teaching local language to adults (kids by the way learn that at their school). Well, on this topic of language, I would like to end with a request: please open schools teaching local languages to adults. The request goes to all – Marathi, Tamil and all.

Here is another point. Why things are worked out only to extremes? Why can’t be there an amicable solution? For this, most of the blame lies on the politicians. Once again, I am neutral; when I say politicians, they include likes of Yadavas, Thakareys and countless such. This is true that UP, Bihar are not developed; the blame is on politicians, not less for Congress or BJP, not more for SP or BSP. Since these states are crucial for commanding power at the centre, they play dirty caste politics and do not allow development to take place in these areas. Because they know, the moment people are educated, their games will become obvious and they will lose the throne. Well, anyway, the common public need bread and since other states like Delhi, Maharashtra provide them opportunity to work and earn; they migrate. The cause is again politicians. Coming to Maharashtra. Is it not wrong if I say, that 100% of Maharashtrian common public is happy. Suicides are on in Vidarbha, people of which have got only false promises. Who’s to blame? The politicians. To end, I would say that common people should use their prudence before acting or reacting. This again applies to everyone, northie, southie, anyone. With calm mind, peaceful solutions is possible. War is not a solution for all the problems.

munim says:

Good article. I just realised that north Indians in Bangalore don’t even bother learning a few simple basic words of kanadda.

Sicilian says:

Raj Saheb,I support you , before the UP/Biharis start making Ranvir’s sena’s and massacre people (and the government keeping quite), before the same kinds start aborting girl fetus (and the government keeping quite) , before the likes start scams of “chara” and making others “la-char”, cheer up for sati (and the government keeping quite) , let there be revolution against what is wrong , in favor of right, let there be revolution against hyporites who oppose bangladeshis for the same reason for which they support low wages migrants from their regions, let there be revolution against the wrong in favor the right…My reply:It’s not right that you support Raj Thackeray. He’s a just politician exploiting these issues (albeit real issues).

Nita says:

Your efforts are truely commendable. It’s true that I don’t agree with you on each and every point, but that doesn’t matter. We have common ground. by the way, you will find that you will get a lot of hate comments on this post. People think that unless one supports the idea of ONE national language, that person is being anti-national. That is an indication of a lack of general knowledge about other countries in the world.

My reply:

Thanks Nita! I know we have common ground, although we may not agree on each and every point.

Harshad says:

Not only UttarBhartiy (Bhaiyaa community) but Gujaratis and South indians also used to sometimes mock the Marathi people by saying “Mumbai Tumachi Bhandighasa amachi” , On this ones I was verry angry and shown my Gujarati co-worker in our administration dept that 3-4 Gujarati boys were there to keep the toilets clean. When Marathi manus like Raj raise voice representing all Marathis, the common marathi people in various offices in mumbai surrounded by majority oF other states people, get to listen taunts in his own Maharashtra from the people who came here to fill their stomach, because their own state was not giving them ROTI-KAPDA (they bloody have bib big MAKANS there at their natives)

My reply:

Good to hear the voice of frustrated Marathis. You are the people who need a chance to express your opinions. The mainstream media will never air your opinions. But please translate the Marathi phrase. I can help you translate those Hindi words (roti=food, kapda=clothes, makan=house). I’d like anyone who writes a non-English phrase to give an accompanying translation, and that applies for the “rashtrabhasha” too.

Anand Iyer says:

Dear Vasanth The article has been written very well. To my knowledge and personal experience I would like to tell you how I view this issue. I was raised in Pune and have been there for around 26 years. Pune being a very strong Marathi foothold was always a cultural hub of Maharashtra. Although just like any other state some Maharashtrians do have their reservations to South Indians owing to jobs and other things it is true that SOuth Indians ,gujjus,marwaris learn and adapt to Marathi culture very quickly as compared to UP-Bihar. On the one hand I feel this is a genuine attitude problem by them ,but at the same time we need to ensure law and order is enforced and things are brought under control. What we need is discipline and peace within the nation and progress above all. I think its high time the UP-Biharis learn to tolerate and respect local culture.

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Further comments can be found here. 

 

Violence in Maharashtra – The root cause

The media has been unanimous in its condemnation of Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and rightfully so. Because violence is never the right means to any end.

But what is the root cause that makes one group of people attack another group of people? What has caused this violent outburst from some of the Marathi people? And why are North Indians being targeted? Note that in this context, we use the term “North Indians” to refer only to those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the groups who are targeted by the MNS.

Is it because North Indians are the most prosperous community in Maharashtra? Not quite. The Gujaratis, Parsis and Marwaris have always controlled the economy of Mumbai, but they are not targeted.

On the contrary, is it because North Indians are the least prosperous, and therefore the most vulnerable targets? Once again, not quite. The poor in Mumbai include not only Biharis, but also Tamils, Telugus, Bengalis and Assamese, yet they are not targeted.

The root cause lies in an element of North Indian behaviour which none of the other communities in India have. An imperialistic attitude which dictates that all Indians should speak their language and follow their culture, while they in turn need not reciprocate. It’s quite common to find North Indians living for many years in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata or the North East without learning the local language. To compound the problem, some North Indian individuals belittle the local culture. Some North Indian businessmen in Assam are rumoured to follow ruthless tactics that make their Assamese labourers suffer. The prominent place of Uttar Pradesh in Indian politics could be another reason for the others to perceive an imperialistic attitude. Not to mention the Indian government’s institutionalisation of Hindi imposition, which gives a perverse justification to the imperialistic attitude of the Hindi-speakers.

In the case of Mumbai, the North Indians have transformed it into a predominantly Hindi-speaking city, an honorary part of North India. They rarely learn Marathi, and sometimes mock the Marathi people as lazy and unsuccessful. Marathis have so far been subservient to the North Indians, speaking their language and letting their culture take root in Maharashtra. But resentment has slowly built up, and Raj Thackeray is simply exploiting the sentiments of the average Marathi.

On the contrary, the Gujaratis, Marwaris, Parsis and South Indians have mostly learnt Marathi. They practise their culture in the confines of Matunga or the Parsi Colony, but don’t impose it on the Marathis. Since the Marathi manoos (Marathi common man) does not have any resentment against these communities, there is nothing for Raj Thackeray to exploit.

Arresting Raj Thackeray and his goons is not a long-term solution. Accusing the Marathi people of parochialism is also not the answer. First of all, Marathis are not parochial. They have never gone to Uttar Pradesh and asked the locals to speak in Marathi. Crying wolf about the MNS is not going to help. All these address the symptoms, not the disease. The disease is North Indian imperialism. That has to be addressed.

A misguided sense of patriotism has allowed the Hindi-speaking culture to be promoted as the supposed “national” culture. “National integration” is the most misused term in Indian politics. It has been wrongly equated with accepting North Indian domination meekly. This meekness is viewed as a virtue, and anyone who refuses to be meek is labeled as parochial, chauvinistic, and anti-national. The Tamils have always been called anti-national, just because they opposed (and continue to oppose) the “national language”. Now the same anti-national label has been bestowed upon the Marathis because they want to preserve their own culture in their own state!

Are Marathis the only people who resent North Indian imperialism? Not at all. North Indian imperialism is the root cause of the North Indian – South Indian divide, as I have discussed here. That was the root cause of the now-defunct Sikh separatism. That is the root cause of continued separatism in Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura. That is the root cause of the violence in Assam, where Marwari businessmen are attacked. The Marathis are simply the latest in a long line.

To avoid such violence and tensions from erupting in every part of the country, Indians need to weed out North Indian imperialism. The North Indians need to change their attitude. The other Indians need to stand their ground.

India needs to follow the Singapore model. The communal harmony of Singapore has been ensured by the sensible way the Singapore Government has managed diversity. Malay was made the national language only ceremonially. The majority of Singaporeans do not know Malay, and are not expected to know it. The constitution gives equal importance to English and three other languages, each corresponding to the three communities of Singapore. Instead of following the melting pot model where diversity is minimized, Singapore follows the mosaic model, where each component retains its unique identity and also becomes part of a beautiful whole. There is no reason for any community to feel they have been given a raw deal. Naturally, you don’t find communal tensions in Singapore.

India showed it can be done, when it decided not to have a national religion. It is possible for India to decide it doesn’t need a national language. Indeed, a national language and its associated nationalised culture are causing tensions to this very day. Unless India does away with North Indian imperialism, it is destined to live a turbulent life of communal tensions. National integration can never be achieved by taking a regional culture, calling it national, expecting everyone to embrace it, and marginalizing the other regional cultures. The Maharashtra violence should serve as a warning to the Indian government and to ordinary Indians, that India’s model for national integration is flawed. But from what I see, India is not heeding the warning. India is conveniently blaming a few men, and ignoring the root cause. If India continues to miss the obvious, it is destined to suffer more communal tensions.